The most interesting winner at the Canadian Open tennis championships was Jeff Borowiak, a free spirit from California who won the 1977 title in Toronto.

Borowiak was the No. 1 player on a UCLA team that many regarded as the greatest college tennis squad ever — Jimmy Connors was No. 3 — but while he had a productive pro career, Borowiak never climbed higher than No. 20 in the world rankings.

Borowiak had a reputation for being flaky on and off the court, which is another way of saying he had interests that extended beyond the narrow world of pro sport.

I was fortunate to spend some time with Borowiak in the early 1970s when I was a covering a tournament for the Montreal Star. Borowiak was hanging out with Torben Ulrich, a Danish player known for his stylish play, flowing beard and ponytail. There was a 20-year age difference between the players, but they were bound by a love of music.

Ulrich travelled with a portable record player and a collection of vinyl. There were records by Miles Davis and John Coltrane as well as selections from European jazz artists. The players would gather in Ulrich’s hotel room and jam with the recordings, Ulrich on his clarinet and Borowiak on his flute.

There was beer on ice and maybe a little pot to mellow things out.

Maybe too mellow.

Borowiak was defaulted from his opening match of the World Championship Tennis event because he overslept.

The 1977 Canadian Open was the highlight of a career that saw Borowiak win five singles titles. He was the 12th seed and he benefited from a series of upsets. The highest-seeded player he faced was sixth-seeded Jaime Fillol of Chile, his opponent in the final.

Borowiak and Ulrich remained friends after their playing days ended and Borowiak invested in Lars Rocket, a band fronted by Ulrich’s drummer son, Lars. The band lasted longer than its name — it’s still touring today as Metallica.

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Jeff Borowiak the most interesting winner of Canadian Open tennis title